Summer Reading - Cheetahs, Mimic Octopuses, Hoatzins & More!

     

Each book in the Life on the Goldilocks Planet series is filled with at least twelve interesting and surprising animals - many of which you may never have heard of before! For example, in   Cheetahs, Mimic Octopuses, Hoatzins & More! you will find Cheetahs, Eels, Philippine Eagles, Chameleons, Gerenuks, Mimic Octopuses & Immortal Jellyfish, Hoatzins, Moose, Boxfish, Iberian Wolves, Olms & Mombachos, and Bactrian Camels - which of these have you never heard of before? Did you know there is an octopus which is able to change how it looks to scare away predators by looking like creatures which eat those predators? Did you know there is a jellyfish which doesn't really "die"? Did you know there is an eagle which has blue eyes?

Today - August 6th is National Wiggle Your Toes Day!

 

Did you know if you were to lose your thumb you could have it replaced with one of your toes? "When your big toe gets attached to the rest of your hand, it can accomplish many of the same activities your thumb could, including holding a pencil, eating food, and opening doors." I found this toe fun fact at the following  link and since today is National Wiggle Your Toes Day, I thought it would be fun to share some "toe facts"!

Upcoming Anniversary & an Important Example

My husband and I are just two days from celebrating our 44th wedding anniversary! We met on an active volcano (Mt. Lassen in Northern California) and were married on my grandpa/ma Fullmer's 55th anniversary - both sets of my grandparents and my parents had long committed marriages. They all set the example for me of loving, honoring and cherishing my husband. I never one time heard my grandparents or parents say anything negative about each other - I think this is what the vows mean - or part of it - when we commit to love, honor, and cherish the one we marry. (This is an engagement photo of us on Mt. Lassen where we met, and a wedding photo . . . we were SO young!!!)

Summer Reading - Giant Anteaters, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Rufous Potoos & More!

     

You might be wondering why I am posting pretty much each day about the   Life on the Goldilocks Planet  books - well, there are a few reasons why . . . first of all, this is a fantastic time to get a book, or two to provide a fun resource for the whole family - especially as children return to school! 

Tomorrow - August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day!

 

I posted this last year, but in case you didn't see it, or forgot, I wanted to let you know tomorrow is National Root Beer Float Day - absolutely a day to celebrate for sure! So, let's look at some Root Beer Float fun facts . . .

Summer Reading - Scorpionfish, Clouded Leopards, Pygmy Hippos & More!

    

Yesterday I wrote about how vital it is for us to hand down confident faith to the children we love by teaching them the "whys" - why we are able to believe God is real and God and science DO go together. Today I want to write about what it may look like for us to do this!

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

While chocolate chip cookies are a treat to enjoy any day - especially fresh from the oven, today is actually National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Of course this means I need to share a recipe or two with you, so I chose the first one from when my oldest grandson was young he and I were going to make cookies, so I asked him what kind of cookies we should make. He said, "Chocolate, chocolate-chip!" So, we sat down with my computer to find a recipe. I found one and read the ingredients to him and he said, "That's not the one we want." I thought it could work, but read the next one to him. He said, "Yes! This is the one. It has cocoa and the other one didn't. We need cocoa to make chocolate, chocolate-chip cookies!" He was right! I didn't think he paid close attention to the ingredients, but apparently he did! We made the recipe he chose, with just a couple "tweaks" which I'm sharing with you. The cookies turned out quite delightful - after all, they have cocoa, chocolate-chips, peanut butter, and sour cream in them, so how could they be anything but delicious and delightful? 

Summer Reading - Megabats, Bengal Tigers, Quetzals & More!

     

As a grandma/mom I know there is nothing more important than handing down confident faith to the ones I love. I wish I knew when my children were young and when my grandchildren were younger, handing down confident faith must include teaching the "whys" - why we are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good - just as we teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. It is essential for us to teach the "whys", but sadly, there are not many resources to help us do this. There are some, but not many.

Today is National Watermelon Day!

 

While certainly every day is a great day to enjoy a tasty piece of watermelon, since today is National Watermelon Day, it is most certainly the day to do so! You will find out more about this wonderful day at the following link, but let's also look at some fun watermelon facts . . .

Summer Reading - Red-Lipped Batfish, Giant Purple Squirrels, Kakapos & More!

  

I have truly enjoyed learning more about animals with which I am familiar - such as Komodo Dragons,  Blue Whales, and Whale Sharks. I have also enjoyed learning about animals I did not know existed - such as  Red-Lipped Batfish, Rufous Hummingbirds, Gharials, Asiatic Lions, Giant Purple Squirrels, Dumbo Octopuses, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Baikal Seals, Guanacos, and Kakapos! Yes, all of these are real animals and you will find all of them are in Red-Lipped Batfish, Giant Purple Squirrels, Kakapos & More!

August is Family Fun Month!

 

While I think every month should be a "family fun month", apparently August is the official Family Fun Month! So . . . what might you do to have family fun during the month of August? Consider some of the following ideas . . . 

Don't Forget the Most Important Back-to-School Supply - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children

The children we love will be returning to school shortly. A new year of school brings with it new relationships, new learning, new experiences, new challenges - some positive, some not so positive. Of course we want to do all we are able to do to equip the children we love so they are able to face these new things with confidence and are able to grow because of them. One of the most important things we will ever do to help them is to teach them to talk with God, but how do we do this? Clearly, if we want the children we love to become people of prayer, this takes more than praying at meals.

Summer Reading - Civets, Tree Kangaroos, Batoids & More!

    

If you could do something which has the potential to equip the children you love with a confident faith, would you do it? Well, the Life on the Goldilocks Planet books are not only engaging, interesting, surprising, and fun books, but they are a tool which will help you connect with your children/ grandchildren as you learn together the "whys" - why you are able to believe God is real and God and science DO go together!

Today is National Water Balloon Day!

 

Today, even though it will be cooler where I live, it is still supposed to be toasty warm - downright hot in many places - making it the perfect day to celebrate National Water Balloon Day! So, before you grab some balloons and gather the children you love for a fun time of water balloon mayhem, let's look at some water balloon fun facts and then a few facts about balloons - did you know . . .